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[Ashley Pollard is back with this month's report on the space and sci-fi scene across the Pond! Yes, I did use the term "sci-fi" advisedly...]
Last month a Red Star rose in the East. This month a Blue Star rises in the West as Alan Shepherd became the first American in space. He was aboard the Freedom 7 Mercury capsule launched atop the Mercury-Redstone 3 booster -- showing it's possible to reach space without getting to orbit. While this may be seen as a bit of disappointment, it clearly demonstrates American caution in testing systems before clearing them for flight. Something I’m sure the astronauts approve of, as they sit atop what is a potential bomb if things go wrong.
I understand that there’s another flight using the Redstone booster in July to look forward to, but my friend Gerry Webb, a member of the British Interplanetary Society, informs me the larger Mercury-Atlas booster is required to propel a man into orbit. However, I’m sure it won’t be long until an American astronaut orbits the Earth as both the Russian and American space agencies strive to be the first to achieve the next new record. I will be following the action as the Space Race hots up.
Meanwhile, at the last Thursday night’s London Circle meeting, once one had gotten through the frothing going on about memberships cards and the current fan feud that rolls on, we sat down and discussed the lamentable state of the British space programme. I braced myself with a Gin & Tonic, with ice and a slice, for the lamentation of the space geeks.
To summarize Great Britain’s role in space, we lag far behind both United States and the Soviet Union, our government having cancelled Blue Streak early last year, which was a medium-range ballistic missile that would’ve made a good basis for a British rocket. It was being tested at the Woomera Rocket Range in Australia (named, aptly, after an Aboriginal spear throwing aid). Woomera has plenty of room to fire rockets into space, unlike the Home Counties or anywhere else for that matter on the British Isles.
Shortly after announcing the cancellation of the Blue Streak our government changed its mind and said it would develop a two-stage rocket called Black Prince: using Blue Streak for the bottom stage and our Black Knight missile for the top. Gerry tells me that the names are generated from the British government’s Rainbow Code that uses a colour and a randomly generated word for aerospace projects. Unfortunately, for British fans of space rocketry, our government then went and cancelled the Black Prince project for being far too expensive.
I’m afraid that only leaves us the fictional British rocket programmes to fly the flag for us in space.
(see the rest at Galactic Journey!)
Last month a Red Star rose in the East. This month a Blue Star rises in the West as Alan Shepherd became the first American in space. He was aboard the Freedom 7 Mercury capsule launched atop the Mercury-Redstone 3 booster -- showing it's possible to reach space without getting to orbit. While this may be seen as a bit of disappointment, it clearly demonstrates American caution in testing systems before clearing them for flight. Something I’m sure the astronauts approve of, as they sit atop what is a potential bomb if things go wrong.
I understand that there’s another flight using the Redstone booster in July to look forward to, but my friend Gerry Webb, a member of the British Interplanetary Society, informs me the larger Mercury-Atlas booster is required to propel a man into orbit. However, I’m sure it won’t be long until an American astronaut orbits the Earth as both the Russian and American space agencies strive to be the first to achieve the next new record. I will be following the action as the Space Race hots up.
Meanwhile, at the last Thursday night’s London Circle meeting, once one had gotten through the frothing going on about memberships cards and the current fan feud that rolls on, we sat down and discussed the lamentable state of the British space programme. I braced myself with a Gin & Tonic, with ice and a slice, for the lamentation of the space geeks.
To summarize Great Britain’s role in space, we lag far behind both United States and the Soviet Union, our government having cancelled Blue Streak early last year, which was a medium-range ballistic missile that would’ve made a good basis for a British rocket. It was being tested at the Woomera Rocket Range in Australia (named, aptly, after an Aboriginal spear throwing aid). Woomera has plenty of room to fire rockets into space, unlike the Home Counties or anywhere else for that matter on the British Isles.
Shortly after announcing the cancellation of the Blue Streak our government changed its mind and said it would develop a two-stage rocket called Black Prince: using Blue Streak for the bottom stage and our Black Knight missile for the top. Gerry tells me that the names are generated from the British government’s Rainbow Code that uses a colour and a randomly generated word for aerospace projects. Unfortunately, for British fans of space rocketry, our government then went and cancelled the Black Prince project for being far too expensive.
I’m afraid that only leaves us the fictional British rocket programmes to fly the flag for us in space.
(see the rest at Galactic Journey!)
